Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon is in a good spot to appeal to a variety of golfers

It’s fun golfing with people who play a course the way it was set up to be played, as in hitting fairways and greens and having reasonable putts for birdie.

Such was the case in late March when I visited Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon to play a couple rounds with PGA professional and site general manager Henry Liaw and one with Symetra Tour professional Carleigh Silvers, who was at the Beaumont facility to play in the IOA Championship.

I hadn’t been to the 36-hole site in about 15 years, or shortly after it opened as the PGA of Southern California Golf Club. The facility has had two owners since, with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians taking control in late 2010. The tribe’s handling of the conditions and the winter rains have produced two layouts that are sporty, well-manicured and scenic, with enough tee boxes to challenge the pros and reduce penal areas for higher handicappers.

“Overall, the quality of the course is just more lush, with money put into conditioning and the renovation of buildings,” said Liaw, who has been at the facility for eight years in a variety of positions. “I think we’ve done a good job of maintaining a facility that’s quality enough for big tournaments yet accessible enough for average golfers.”

The Symetra Tour event is played on the Champions Course, a 6,810-yard layout that is fairly straightforward and more traditional in style than the Legends Course, which, at 6,803 yards, is similar in length but trickier because of curves and angles off the tee, most notably on the front nine. Both layouts have greens that are quick and undulating, and both finishing holes have greens abutting a lake just below the 35,000-square-foot clubhouse and massive practice area.

“I’d say Champions is more of a second-shot golf course because of wide fairways and greens that require accurate approaches,” Liaw said. “Legends is probably a little tougher because of blind tee shots starting out and all of the par-3s requiring solid shots.”

A nice stretch of holes on Legends starts with the round’s final blind tee shot, at No. 7, a 465-yard par-4 with a dogleg left through a forest of oak and vine growth and a stream on the left. That’s followed by a 165-yard par-3 requiring a tee shot to carry a wetlands area in front of the green, with the front nine ending on a 370-yard par-4 that has a large oak tree on the left and several large bunkers on the right of the green that add beauty and difficulty to approach shots.

One of the more interesting designs – and tee-shot decisions – can be seen and made at No. 13 on Champions, a 355-yard par-4 that provides a risk-reward situation for players who might try drive balls over a wide and angled barranca requiring a carry of at least 270 yards. The safest play, for most, is to hit a drive about 210 yards in front of the barranca for an uphill approach to a green that slopes sharply on three sides.

“Every hole out here is going to be pretty good for all levels of play,” Liaw said. “From the right tee box there’s plenty of challenge and playability mixed in with the serenity and scenery.”

The facility’s location about 12 miles from Morongo Casino Resort and a doable drive from the Palm Springs area, Riverside and parts of Orange County give Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon a large region to draw from. And with green fees ranging from $32-$69 depending on age group and time of play, Liaw sees the site as a fun alternative for golfers seeking good value.

“For a person looking to play a quality golf course but not spend triple digits on a round, this is a good option for them,” he said. “And for the person who wants to step it up from the municipal experience without spending much more money, this is a great place for that as well.”

As with the site’s original intent of fielding numerous charity outings and competitions, Morongo upholds that mantra by hosting about 245 events and tournaments each year. It’s part of a strategy, Liaw said, to give the facility more exposure, help others and attract core golfers in the region.

“We want to give back by helping with good causes and promoting junior golf and women’s golf, for example. It’s important for our community to do that,” Liaw said. “We’re not here to have a person come in, play one time and not come back. We’re trying to make this their home.”

BY THE NUMBERS

72.9, 133 – Rating and slope from the black tees (6,810 yards) on the Legends Course

73.6, 136 – Rating and slop from the black tees (6,803 yards) on the Champions Course

1,635, 1,536 – Difference in yards from the black and forward tees (5,169) on

The Champions Course is one of two layouts available to golfers at the Morongo site.